Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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199. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 198, 206, 210, 211 and 212 of 9 May 2016, if he will clarify his reply that schools can plan a well-being programme without loss of teaching time for other subjects; and the way in which hours for the well-being programme will not impact on hours for other subjects. [23187/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Wellbeing and mental health are major priorities for my Department and are set out in the Action Plan for Education.  I believe that we must improve supports for students in this area, in the context of increasing concern around issues like suicide and online bullying.  That is why we have engaged in new activities in this area, including a series of consultations on the issue, and set out new policies in the area.

As part of this schools make an important contribution to students’ learning about wellbeing and for wellbeing. Substantial work is already taking place in schools to support students’ wellbeing. The Junior Cycle Wellbeing programme will require that 300 hours are allocated to wellbeing from 2017, and from 2020, this will increase to 400 hours.

I am quite satisfied that this will not impact negatively on the time available for other subjects.

This is because wellbeing is built on a number of pillars, which include subjects already offered. These are CSPE, PE and SPHE. Together, these three existing curriculum inputs already contribute 275 hours of the 300 hours which schools are required to allocate to wellbeing from next September. There are a range of options available to schools in determining how to meet the other 25 hours in the coming year, and the additional 100 hours required in 2020.

For instance, across the curriculum, a school can identify a number of elements of learning in other subjects (beyond CSPE, PE, SPHE and guidance-related learning) which relate to wellbeing. A school may also opt to include once-off whole-school events, as part of its provision for wellbeing, including for example, a healthy eating week. This would reflect the whole-school approach to wellbeing as advocated in the guidelines. Chapter 4 of the Guidelines for Wellbeing in Junior Cycle provides information for schools on possible options.

 The Junior Cycle subject specifications and syllabuses developed by the NCCA set out the minimum time to be allocated to subjects. The development of these specifications was informed by extensive consultation and engagement with stakeholders. It is important to note that these are minimum time allocations.

Subject to meeting the minimum thresholds, schools have flexibility in allocating time to subjects. Through a process of consultation, individual schools should consider the local context and students’ learning needs and interests, when decisions regarding timetabling are being made. In effect this enables schools to allocate time in excess of the minimum to subjects, if it deems that this is appropriate in meeting students’ needs, and in the context of the full programme provided.